Rene

Has anyone gone to Murano outside of 'Venice. WHat is the best way to see the glass factory, etc. Thank you

Rex

I won't claim this is the best way - - but it is ONE way - - on my recent (fourth) trip to Venice, I finally made it to Murano for the first time. <BR> <BR>We stayed on Lido (not something I necessarily recommend) at Hotel Villa Stella (which I do endorse, if you feel like Lido is the right choice for you). Our hostess, Michela offered us a free private motorboat ride to Murano (by appointment which she needed to make the night before). As she represented it to us, the boat ride would normally cost $100, but there was some kind of "association" of glass producers/vendors who offered these free "deals" to hotel-owners on Lido to encourage visits by their guests. <BR> <BR>The ride was indeed pleasant. The boat was enclosed, just about the right size for the seven of us (might have held two more total); the ride was fast enough to make us feel like it really was special treatment, yet smooth enough to be enjoyable. The boat was fully enclosed, nice because it was otherwise a cool-ish (50 F?) slightly drizzly morning. And the pickup point was in a private canal, less than 100 yds from Hotel Villa Stella. <BR> <BR>So far so good. <BR> <BR>When we arrived, we were escorted into a glassblowers's studio (? is there a more appropriate word? - - a major glassblowing "shop" - - with serious tubes, molds, furnace(s) and tempering ovens). There were four guys working there, more or less continuously, though it seemed a little like a show, in that when one was doing something fairly cool, the others seemed to stop what they were doing. They made a variety of interesting shapes and showed a spectrum of techniques - - mostly all for making chandelier "parts" - - tubes, crooknecks, half-sphere "cups", partial globes, etc. I estimate that our sit-down there lasted 12-14 minutes. I rate it an A minus/B plus. <BR> <BR>Then the dance began. We were escorted into a labyrinth of "showrooms", and presented with a bit of a pitch about how the items on display were only "open to the public" one day a week, and they represented items for sale no where else in Venice. This may have even been true to a certain extent, though I am skeptical. Nothing had a price tag. You had to ask about anything that interested you, and the prices were curiously enough in very round US dollar amounts - - $500, $2000, $10,000, $1500; it seemed highly unpredictable from my guess as to the relative beauty or "value" and what was the price I was told. Indeed some were very beautiful. I can't say what I might have spent if I had come prepared to buy a major Christmas present for, say my father, or someone very special to me. But I was not there for that. <BR> <BR>And we grew uncomfortable (it probably only lasted 10 more minutes) at the lack of what seemed to be an exit or an endpoint. I even asked for a business card - - indicating that I would be back in June with a group of 16 people (this is true) - - and the answer seemed to be something like "Sure, sure, at the end". <BR> <BR>But where was this end? <BR> <BR>Ultimately, more people were ushered into the showroom(s), and we just began backing our way to where we had come in. It felt like we needed to sneak out; no one actually said goodbye to us, nor reacted in any way to our leaving. In retrospect, maybe the "pressure" was all just imagined. <BR> <BR>As we left, we were a bit puzzled as to where to go to get off the island. We were beckoned into some other "showrooms", and we did go into one, where a few items had price tags, and the "pressure" was much more noticeable - - although the prices were now in the 100's. I felt like I had to rescue one of the teenage boys who seemed to be "targeted" by one particular salesman. He was determined not to let me talk privately with the boy to express my reservations. If he had bought something for his mother there, it would not have been the end of the world. <BR> <BR>Ultimately, we made it back to the public vaporetto stop, where there were a whole line of shops with stuff priced from $2 to $50. We also ran into some other tourists (who had arrived via the public vaporetto) - - my wife heard one of them asking "well where's all the good stuff?" If I had heard the question myself, I'm not sure how I would have answered! <BR> <BR>The vaporetto ride back to San Marco takes a good 30 minutes and does give you a glimpse of Il Cimitero (the cemtery, its own separate island), and stops at Il Hospedale (the hospital where wheel-chaired passengers got on and off - - a reminder that Venice is a REAL city, and not totally a Disneyland). <BR> <BR>Should you go in search of one of these private motorboat rides? In the final analysis, we did get "something for nothing", so I have no real grounds for complaining. And no one bought anything. From my description of the experience, perhaps you can decide if there is something in this kind of excursion for you. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

Walter

I can't back this up but I remember reading a post either here or on rec.travel.europe that IIRC sounded very convincing. The poster stated that the glass wares were actually imported from I *believe* the Czech Republic (low cost-cheap labor) and sold in their factory where the buyer would *assume* it's locally made. If you plan on buying something there perhaps you should make some inquiries to see if this is true first. HTH Regards, Walter <BR>

Mia

We had the same exact experience as Rex. Again, it was arranged thru our hotel, for free. We didn't have the luxury of a group, as we were there later in the afternoon and were the only customers in the factory. We basically nodded politely through the entire "show" and said (again, politely) maybe next time. It was definitely uncomfortable! <BR> <BR>We eventually found our way to one of the smaller glass shops and were able to purchase small figurines at a much more reasonable price (under $20). So don't fall for those "free lunch" pitches, because there's no such thing!

connie

We took the public vaporetto to murano. Once there, just walked around and found several "factories" where we watched a 10-15 minute demonstration of glass-blowing. It was interesting, informative. There were 50 or so tourists at this demo. Then we were shown into the shop, but I felt no pressure. Sure, they wanted us to buy, but we didn't really see anything that intrigued us, so we said "no thanks" and left, no problem. Then we walked around the island for a couple of hours. The thing I liked best about going was that there were hundreds of shops, dedicated to glass. Great selection, definitely more than could be found in the shops in Venice. I thought the ride out on the vaporetto and the selection made it a worthwhile way to spend an afternoon.

elavine

Dear Rene <BR>As others have said, Murano can be a tourist trap, or it can be, as I experienced, a great place to shop for glass if you are an educated consumer. <BR>I went on a free boat ride sponsored my hotel and a particular glass factory, but when we arrived on Murano I struck out on my own and visited several factories and show rooms. When I was finished browsing and buying, I caught a vaporetto to my next destination (Torcello) on my own. Beware of the small shops on the main street; most of them are just souvenir shops selling glass made anywhere. A factory show room is your best bet for authentic Venetian glass. <BR>If you would like more information, <BR>I would be happy to send you my Venice notes if you email me.

Dona

I had to LOL when I read Rex's account. I thought I had written it!! Of course we were the only 2 on our private vaporetto (also arranged by the hotel) - but everything else was the same. <BR> <BR>I felt I was in an Abbot & Costello movie when I realized there were no exit signs - only more rooms filled with glassware. We finally saw a stairway to nowhere, made a run for it, and asked an employee where the exit was (she had obviously not been trained in glasswar(e)fare). When we "escaped", we were sure our photos were posted in every post office in Venice!! <BR> <BR>We did return to Murano on subsequent visits - and I bought some great glassware at the Gritti factory! <BR> <BR>I think the "free" boatride is definitely worth it - but be prepared for a "breakout"!! (LOL) <BR> <BR>Dona

howard

Our experience in Murano was a bit more pleasant. A visit to one of the studios on Murano was included as an option (at no extra cost) in our half-day Amex tour (which also include the St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace). There were about 10 of us who went over in a small boat and saw a most-interesting demonstration. We then went into the gallery (read that: store) and looked around. No high-pressure salesmanship at all! I managed to sneak a few photographs in of some of the magnificent pieces before being told the taking pictures was a no-no. <BR>We had been forewarned that prices were higher at the factories, so none us was tempted there, and again, no pressure at all to buy.

Paul J

Our experience was very very similar with several slight differences. The manager of our hotel was going to Murano on business. He just offered us a ride to go along, as a nice jesture. The private boat picked us up about 50 feet from our hotel. On the way over the manager pointed out many of the highlights of the area and gave us the local view of the future flooding problems of Venice. He also suggested that after our visit to the glass factories we take the ferry on to the island of Burano. Our experience at the factory was identical. We expected pressure to buy something, but although a "guide" was assigned to us there really wasn't any pressure. The showrooms are awesome. <BR>However, the best part was that we took the managers advice and went on to Burano. It is a charming island with colorful houses and shops. Really worth seeing. That whole day was one of those unexpected "jewels" of our trip to Italy. FYI we didn't buy anything on Murano but found some cool stuff on Burano. To sum up, your experience probably be as described here, but if you go then take the extra time and visit Burano. You will enjoy it...Paul J

kam

If you can resist the pressure to buy (and nobody is going to put a gun to your head!) take the public vaporetto to Murano, and stop on Torcello the same trip. There's a beautiful byzantine mosaic in the little church on this island. Burano is known as the "lace island" and I've always found much less pressure to buy there. It has a couple little restaurants for lunch. If you don't particularly like Venetian glass (and it's a real matter of taste!), don't bother and enjoy Venice instead.

Paul

We took the vaporetto to Murano, then struck out on our own. We went into several showrooms, but resisted attempts to sell. Some were more high-pressure than others. If you're into it, the Glass Museum is an interesting stop on Murano. We had lunch at an indescript restaurant whose main qualities were a shaded table right out on the main canal, and an inexpensive lunch! We did buy a few things on Murano, but felt that at least 80% of what's sold there is not worth it. All in all, it was a fun day's excursion.

Diane

I've been to Murano twice. The first time I bought a small Bambi that I watched being made. It was inexpensive and has been a treasure for 20 years. The second time was a couple of years ago. We watched a little glassblowing and left. We could have skipped it entirely. Now Burano is something else. If you have the time, try to fit Burano into your itinerary. We planned to spend two or three hours there and wound up spending seven hours. Just delightful.

sheri

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the glass museum on Murano yet! I'm from Seattle, so seeing glass blown is not exactly a new thing for me, so I took the vaporetto and skipped the studios entirely in favor of going to the museum, which was fabulous. They have glass artifacts going back to Roman times, then trace the history of glass art, and have samples from different periods so you can see how the art evolved. There's also a lovely sculpture garden on the grounds, and a wonderful hole in the wall "cicchetti" (sp?) bar just a few doors beyond the museum (towards the famous church on the island, which was unfortunately closed during my visit). <BR> <BR>I did go to one or two of the more upper end galleries just to look, as I am very interested in modern glass art. I didn't encounter any pressure in these places. <BR> <BR>If you have time, I also strongly second the suggestions to see Burano and Torcello. I did Murano on a half-day trip, then combined the other two for a full day trip another day.

sheri

Oops, my apologies to Paul, who did mention the Glass Museum!

Catherine

Hi Rene, <BR> <BR>We also went to Torcello but we bought our glass there because they were selling the same things as were in the gift shops in Venice at twice the price and sometimes more.